"Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza took tothe streets to celebrate the prisoner deal.Chanting slogans in support of Hizbullah, manydistributed candy and pledged to continue thefight until all Palestinian prisoners were freed.Palestinians also demonstrated in support ofSudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir,who has been charged with genocide in theInternational Criminal Court in The Hague.**Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas,who is currently visiting Malta, welcomed theprisoner swap and sent greetings to Kuntar.Abbas's Fatah party organized a rally in Ramallahto celebrate the release of Kuntar and the returnof Mughrabi's remains.**"This is an historic victory over Israeli arrogance,"said Ahmed Abdel Rahman, a top Fatah officialand adviser to Abbas. He described Kuntar as a"big struggler" and Mughrabi as a "martyr wholed one of the greatest freedom fighters' operationsin the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."On this "important" day, Abdel Rahman said,Fatah "salutes Hizbullah and its leaders and fighters."**Fahmi Za'arir, a Fatah spokesman in the West Bank,said his party was proud of all those who sacrificedtheir lives for the Palestinian "revolution and people."He described the attacks carried out by Mughrabiand Kuntar as heroic and legendary."

torsdag, juli 17, 2008

” The Muslim Brotherhood's ample funds andorganization have contributed to their successin Europe. But their acceptance into mainstreamsociety and their unchallenged rise to powerwould not have been possible had Europeanelites been more vigilant, valued substanceover rhetoric, and understood the motivationsof those financing and building these Islamistorganizations.**Why have Europeans been so naïve? BassamTibi, a German professor of Syrian descentand an expert on Islam in Europe, thinksthat Europeans—and Germans in particular—fear the accusation of racism. Radicals insheep's clothing have learned that theycan silence almost everybody with theaccusation of xenophobia. Any criticism ofMuslim Brotherhood-linked organizationsis followed by outcries of racism and anti-Muslim persecution. Journalists who arenot frightened by these appellatives areswamped with baseless and unsuccessfulbut expensive lawsuits.**In some cases, politicians simply fail tocheck the backgrounds of those whoclaim to be legitimate representativesfor the Muslim community. As in theUnited States, self-described represent-tatives for the Muslim community arefar more radical than the populations theyrepresent. In other cases, politiciansrealize that these organizations are notthe ideal counterparts in a constructivedialogue but do not take the time to seekother less visible but more moderateorganizations, several of which exist onlyat the grassroots level, impeded byfinancial constraints.**What most European politicians fail tounderstand is that by meeting withradical organizations, they empowerthem and grant the Muslim Brotherhoodlegitimacy. There is an implied endorse-ment to any meeting, especially whenthe same politicians ignore moderate voicesthat do not have access to generous Saudifunding. This creates a self-perpetuatingcycle of radicalization because the greaterthe political legitimacy of the MuslimBrotherhood, the more opportunity itand its proxy groups will have toinfluence and radicalize various EuropeanMuslim communities.The ultimate irony is that Muslim Brother-hood founder Hassan al-Banna dreamedof spreading Islamism throughout Egyptand the Muslim world. He would havenever dreamed that his vision might alsobecome a reality in Europe.”****